Intelligent Mechatronic System with Decentralised Control and Multi-Agent Planning

Flexibility and reconfigurability of production systems requires intelligent devices and products that enables easy integration and reconfiguration eliminating the need of explicit programing the functionality of resulting system. This lead to the development of such concept as Intelligent Mechatronic Component. However, coordinating such distributed self-contained components into the desired logic of operation is a challenging task. Multi-agent systems (MAS) architecture provides necessary features for seamless integration of individual functionalities of agents into system's behaviour by self-configuration. The presented study explores an approach where MAS realizes high level coordination tasks while IMCs provides embedded services. MAS is realized in GORITE goal-oriented team programming framework deployed as web service in the Cloud. Low-level control of IMCs is developed in IEC 61499. The paper presents a case study of a Pick and Place manipulator composed of intelligent cylinders.